Often cited as an authoritarian player within his locker room, Kylian Mbappé is the subject of a trend on social networks. He is often represented in military uniform in the guise of a dictator. The Madrilenian even earned a nickname, “Mobutu”, in reference to the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo who ruled his country for more than 20 years with an iron fist. Some of his teammates even picked up on this joke. This must of course be taken as humor and second degree, which the main person concerned understands. In an interview given to France Football as part of the Ballon d’Or, the captain of the Blues preferred to laugh about it, even if he does not minimize the historical reality.
“There is a part that is funny because we feel that, for some peopleit’s good natured, he begins. There is also a part that is a little less funny because we know the damage that these kinds of people have caused in history. To be compared to people who murder people, or who have made millions and millions of people unhappy… I don’t think I’ve ever done that in my life. So there is a mix of things. On the one hand, I know that it’s done in a light-hearted way and that it doesn’t go that far, but it sometimes shows a lack of political and human awareness among people. Ousmane is something else. He took it from social media! He’s just kidding.»
